17 Degrees

I use to love fighting the wind's monstrous force.  I use to embrace its bitter coldness against my face.  It didn't matter where I was or the time of day; I ran no matter what.

There wasn't such a thing as a day off.  Mileage sometimes happened three times in a 24-hour period.  Fearless of the potential dangers around me, I ran, head held high, with my Creator in step beside me.
My Pacer.
My Coach.
My King.

I think it was my junior year.  Ice was spitting from the sky,  a north wind blowing at a rough speed.  As I stared out my back door at the inevitable meteorological conditions, my need to run grew.  I couldn't run around the block.  I'd surely slip and it was dark outside.  I didn't care how I did it, but I had to run.  I glanced at my atomic clock. 17 degrees. And dropping. My thought? Bring it on. 
I ran (yes literally) to my room and started layering up.
Tights, shorts, and wind pants.
T-shirt, long-sleeved shirt, hoodie, and jacket.
Two pairs of gloves.
Two pairs of socks.
An ear warmer and two hoods.
 An old pair of running shoes.
I was set.
And I feared one thing.
Getting hot in all these clothes.
As I approached my backdoor dressed like an Eskimo, my mom looked at me and smiled. My brother looked at me and said, “You’re crazy, Jennie. I bet you come inside after fifteen seconds.” That was just what I needed him to say. I always wanted to push past the limits other people put on me. Even a pathetic limit given by my ten- year-old brother pushed me to prove myself. And the bottom line…I just wanted to run, regardless of what anyone else said. It was my addiction. My day was not complete until I ran.  My body and mind were not clear until running and I got together. Not even one day of this was skipped. My coach had told me that to be a really good distance runner, I would need to run every single day. So I did.

I stepped outside, warm under all of my layers. I made my way to the alley. It was a good alley with a terrain of rocky dirt.  But tonight, there was a layer of icy snow covering the dirt. My estimate of the length of the alley was about 75 to 90 meters. It may have been more. I could never really tell.

I cleared my watch.
The wind was blowing the ice into the side of my face.
I was ready.
At my first step I started my watch.
Up and down the alley I went. My pace was easy. Running south, the wind carried me. Running north I was blind. The ice flew hard against my face. My eyes could not stay open. But I kept running. I knew my alley well.
30 seconds in, I was having a blast.
2 minutes later, I was having even more fun.
10 minutes later, I couldn't imagine stopping.
At one point, I glanced at my neighbor’s backdoor.
She was watching me.
She waved and I think she was laughing.
I kept going.
As I existed in these unusual running conditions, I realized something, not only about running, but about life and about my relationship with God.

The weather gets cold in states of bitterness with painful precipitation falling from the sky.  We look out at this weather and instantly think, “There’s no way I’m going out there!”  We classify this weather as “bad” because it’s uncomfortable.  We don’t like how it feels to be in the middle of it.  So we avoid it.  We stay comfortably inside with hot chocolate. 
Isn’t this like life?  We look out at the storms in our lives, or even the storms of the world that make us uncomfortable to be involved in and we withdraw.  We stay in the areas of life that are comfortable for us. We stay with the warmness and satisfaction of the easy things that are in our comfort zones, just like we drink hot chocolate inside the house during an ice storm.
When we are aware of these ice storms in our lives and in the world, we have a responsibility, because with awareness comes the responsibility to ACT.
Getting up to run, especially in an ice storm can be hard because the thought of work in cold weather is not at all appealing.
But with correct preparation and enough determination, it can be done painlessly.
Let’s bundle up for these ice storms of life and let’s have enough determination and drive to push through the storms of beauty even if there’s repetition like running up and down the alley for twenty minutes.  And when the ice hits our face, let’s be thankful that we are alive, able to run through the ice and bitterness in order to learn more about God and what our lives here on Earth mean. 

In my desire to fight the wind’s monstrous force while running, I pray that I will have the same desire to fight life’s monstrous force with the strength and stride of Jesus right beside me.  Whether it be running or life, let’s give all we’ve got every single day, no matter what our conditions are.

The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.
Proverbs 18:10

I love you, Lord; you are my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
My God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the strength of my salvation,
And my stronghold.
I will call on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
For he saved me from my enemies.
Psalm 18:1-3

Hi! (From Nick)